More than 1,000 educators representing 568 institutions of higher education across the country have signed a petition to support Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s student loan bill, effectively joining forces in the fight to lower interest rates on federal subsidized loans.

Texas contributed 45 signatures to the petition, representing 24 of the Lone Star State’s colleges and universities, including Texas A&M and University of Texas at Austin.

The letter, which will run in the Chronicle of Higher Education, was put out by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) and other advocate groups; it demands that Congress work toward more affordable higher education opportunities for students across the country, especially those who come from lower and middle class backgrounds.

“The long-term rising cost of college demands a bold solution,” the letter reads. “Education should be available to everyone – it’s the most important investment we can make in our nation.”

Professor Susan Kellogg of the University of Houston said that she signed the petition because she realizes that her students are not particularly wealthy and need help when it comes to covering the costs of schooling.

“I think the bill in important because it broadens the discussion,” Kellogg said. “Some students say, ‘I know I’m taking on too much debt, but, you know, I need to get my education.’ A lot of them, I think, are concerned about finishing their degree.”

Warren’s loan bill proposes that students pay interest rates on loans in the same fashion as Wall Street banks with a .75% rate on each loan taken out. Before the July 1 increase, students were paying more than four and a half times the rate of banks. After the increase, students now pay more than nine times the price of a bank loan.

PCCC senior organizer Forrest Brown said that in their messages of support, many of the professors who signed the petition spoke of students who worked multiple part-time jobs, struggled to pay for books and had trouble making ends meet. One account mentioned a student was forced to live out of their car because they were stretched so thin financially.

“We wanted to elevate the voice of professors because they’re the ones who see the effects,” Brown said. “They’re an important voice for speaking out about why we need to make bold changes so that students stop acculumateing so much debt.”

Claude Van Lingen often sees students in his classroom at Austin Community College who struggle to pay for their college experience, even though community college is often turned to when higher education is too expensive.

“Some of them come from pretty desperate families,” said Van Lingen. “With unaffordable education, there will be fewer students going to school, teachers will be laid off, and unemployment rates will go up.”

According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the cost of attending community college often reaches into the tens of thousands of dollars when books, room and board, travel and other factors are considered.

English professor Alan Hall from Lone Star College firmly believes that education must be affordable and available to those who desire it for a very simple reason: it’s all part of the American dream.

“It seems to me that the whole notion of the American dream is built around the idea that people can better themselves and education is one of the keys,” Hall said. “Making education unaffordable to a significant portion of the population cuts off the American dream for a lot of people.”